Spring 2011
REACHOUT NEWS
School of Social Work
Stephen F. Austin
State University
Child Welfare Professional Development Project
Inside this issue:
pg.
The Healing Power of the Adoptive Family 1-3
14th Annual Conference Regional News Child Welfare Information Center 4
5-6
7
Earn One Hour Credit 8-9
CWPDP Staff 10
The Healing Power of the Adoptive Family Reprinted with permission from the Foster Parent College
Connections newsletter. Foster Parent College provides online
training for foster, adoptive and kinship parents. For more information visit www.fosterparentcollege.com.
Yogi Berra, the legendary catcher for
the New York Yankees, famous for his
quotable quotes, once declared: “It’s déjà
vu all over again.” For many adoptive
parents, it feels like they are “prisoners of
déjà vu,” trapped in their children’s unfortunate past over and over again. These
sad histories can live on and on without
helpful intervention.
Traumatic Histories:
Ideally, children should be raised in a
“cradle of development.” But, prior to being
placed in foster care, many special needs
adopted children were raised in a “nest of
thorns;” they may have experienced a wide
variety of maltreatment (physical and/or
sexual abuse and, most commonly, neglect) over an extended period of time.
Parents who maltreat often lack responsiveness and are unavailable to their children. For a host of reasons, some parents
cannot or do not provide sensitive parent(Continued on page 2) From the Director…..Becky Price-Mayo, MSW, LBSW
REACHOUT NEWS
Published by
Child Welfare Professional
Development Project
School of Social Work
Stephen F. Austin
State University
P. O. Box 6165, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Tel: (936) 468-1846
Fax: (936) 468-7699
E-mail: bmayo@sfasu.edu
Funding is provided by contract with
the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services.
All rights reserved. This newsletter
may not be reproduced in whole or in
part without written permission from
the publisher. The contents of this
publication are solely the
responsibility of the Child Welfare
Professional Development Project
and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the funders.
Spring is just around the corner and the conference planning commit‐
tee has been very busy gearing up for the 14th Annual Region 5 Foster and Adoptive Training Conference! The conference will be held on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, Saturday, April 16th. With the pending cuts in state health and human services, especially travel funds, the regional conference is an important training opportu‐
nity for staff, professionals and parents of East Texas. Registration in‐
formation will be mailed to CPS foster parents in late February. Around the same time, a PDF version of the registration brochure will be emailed to private child placing agencies for distribution, and the brochure will be posted on the SFA School of Social Work web‐site http://www2.sfasu.edu/aas/socwk/index.html. Click on the News & Events page. We hope to see everyone there! The conference planning committee, chaired by Mike Williams, Region 5 Council FPA Representative, will also be focusing on coordinating activities for the Youth Leadership Conference and day care which is held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Region 5 Foster and Adoptive Training Conference. If you have an activity or presenter that you think your youth might enjoy, please forward recommendations to Mike at mikewms@live.com. Later in the spring, there will be a separate registration process for children and youth, which is coordinated through CPS – Martha Boudreaux at (Continued on page 10)
Page 2
REACHOUT NEWS
The Healing Power of the Adoptive Family (continued) (Continued from page 1)
ing nor do they offer caring structure and guidance. As
a result, their children may develop an array of negative
and distorted perceptions and expectations about family life, themselves, and parent figures. Traumatic histories can change many things,
but especially how children
perceive themselves and others. These perceptions not
only become their reality, they
may remain their reality. It’s
déjà vu all over again.
Sad histories not only alter
how children view things, but
can change their behavior
and the people they become.
In their traumatic early lives,
children frequently adapted to
survive. The way they behaved or misbehaved somehow worked for them in the
past and it might have been
life-saving for them. Beyond
individual behaviors or behavior problems, say, running
away from home or bedwetting to keep dangerous individuals from entering his room, a child may have
adapted by playing a specific role in a dysfunctional
family; for example, acting as a “parental child.” Children play their part in an unfortunate family environment. Later, even after being placed in a healthy adoptive family, they continue to play their role. So, not only
does their unusual or problematic behavior persist, so
does the historic role.
The upshot of all this is that helping your adopted
child may take understanding two central issues: (1)
the past (and present) reason(s) behind his behavior
problems and (2)the child’s in his earlier life.
Reasons for Problem Behaviors:
One of the most important questions to ask yourself
when dealing with behavior problems and when helping
your children, is to identify “why” they do what they do.
Typically, there’s a method to the madness, but sometimes we, as resource parents, can’t fathom it. Instead
we often feel baffled and hamstrung by the child’s problem and are forced into dealing with it reactively and
negatively. Understanding the “point” of the behavior:
i.e. its purpose, meaning, cause, or the reason behind it,
helps us to remain proactive and positive.
Here are six common reasons or purposes that can apply
to almost any behavior problem you might be trying to sort
out. Not all of them apply in each
situation, but there can be more
than one cause for a single problem.
1. Attention seeking (asking for
needs/ want to be met): The
child gains and maintains attention, sometimes negative attention; the youth may be communicating a need or want, though
sometimes in a roundabout way.
Your child might pick fights with
siblings to get you involved in
breaking it up.
2. Fear factor (anxiety, fear, or
phobia): The youth may have an
automatic response to certain
triggers or situations; his behavior may serve to help avoid or escape some undesirable,
unpleasant event, task, or individual; and/or it may reduce
tension or discomfort that the child or youth feels. The child
may smear feces in his bedroom to keep out dangerous
intruders.
3. Provide stimulation or pleasure: Some behaviors are fundamentally rewarding. A child might take some
secret delight in stealing a treasured object from you and
watching you search for it.
4. Family issues: Issues in the family may result in certain
behavior problems in the child or adolescent. Modeling may
occur as well, wherein the child witnesses a certain behavior at home that he then imitates. The child may show disrespect towards the adoptive mother if his own mother was
a victim of domestic violence.
5. Physical/medical: Physical ailments and psychiatric disorders can produce certain problem behaviors or symptoms. The child who erupts with violent outbursts unrelated
to any discernable triggers may need a psychiatric evaluation.
Page 3
REACHOUT NEWS
The Healing Power of the Adoptive Family (continued) (Continued from page 2) 6. Cognitive distortion: Some behaviors naturally spring
from distortions in the child’s thinking, expectations, or
from irrational thoughts. The child may wonder if taking
a family vacation means you’ll never return home.
Of course, many of these reasons for individual behavior problems can emerge out of maltreating pasts. As an
adoptive parent it’s important to “pinpoint the point,” that
is, to identify why the child does what he does. The list
of six reasons above may get you started, but, sometimes understanding “why” mandates taking things a
step further. Adoptive parents may need to look beyond
the reasons for a specific behavior problem to the larger
issue of the child’s early role within his maltreating family.
Early Role Within The Family:
There are five common historic roles children have
played and may cling to:
The super-compliant child: This child may be overly submissive and passive. The child avoids expressing any
negative feelings and obeys “to a fault.” To help this
child the adoptive family needs to reassure the child that
he/she is safe. The parents may need to track and observe how often the child misses golden opportunities to
voice frustration, wants, and disagreements. Encouraging the child to voice feelings, needs and opinions assertively may help.
The care-giving child: Frequently called a “parental
child,” this youngster makes few demands of the adoptive parents and may attempt to take care of the parent
or other children. The adoptive parent should be careful
not to fall into a mode of punishing the child for doing
“his job,” i.e. playing out his historic role in a family.
Instead, find reasonable ways to channel the child’s
care-giving tendencies in acceptable ways. Placing the
child in charge of care-giving for a pet may help. Asking
the child to assist the parent in certain tasks may give
the child a senseof purpose.
The coercive child: This child makes it impossible to not
pay attention to him/her. The child may clamor loudly for
attention or may act so inappropriately that the adoptive
parent can’t help but correct him/her. It’s important for
parents to not fall into a negative attention trap. Instead,
it may help to provide the child with ample positive atten
tion before conduct problems force negative attention.
Equipping the child with the language to directly ask for
positive parental attention may forestall negative attention
seeking.
The helpless child: This child may capture caregiver attention by exaggerated helplessness. This may amount to
coercing parental attention through weakness or feigned
illness. The child may respond to approaches which allow
him, for a time, to be treated like a younger child.
The disorganized child: This child may send quite confused signals to the adoptive family. He may desperately
need, yet strongly fear, involvement with others. The
adoptive parent should observe to see how much undiluted positive attention the child can handle without feeling
anxious. The parent may have to mete out love and attention in small, low-key doses.
Take Away Message:
In a nutshell, good relationships in an adoptive family
can repair early emotional damage. While psychotherapy
can be helpful, the central, curative relationships of the
youth should be with the adoptive parents, who may have
the most positive, enduring impact in the child’s life. It is
the healing power of the adoptive family that can provide a
protective milieu in which the child can grow, learn, and
succeed.
Helping the troubled adopted child often requires understanding the child’s behavior problems and the underlying
reasons for them. It also may require understanding what
historic role he played to survive. It is important for adoptive parents to acknowledge what the child has been
through in the past, all the while convincing him better
times lie ahead. In the words of Yogi Berra, adoptive parents must convey the message that: “The future ain’t what
it used to be.”
_____________________________
Page 4
REACHOUT NEWS
14th Annual Region 5 Foster & Adoptive Conference Don ’ t Miss Your Chance to See Dr. Richard Delaney!!
Dr. Delaney is presenting two Saturday Workshops:
Using the Healing Power of the Family with Children with Complex Histories
and
Pervasive Parenting: Negotiating with your Kids
at the 14th Annual Region 5 Foster & Adoptive Conference.
He also will present two training sessions for the Friday Pre-Conference for CPS and other professional staff.
Dr. Delaney resources available for check out from the
Child Welfare Information Center ( CWIC )
∗
Fostering Changes: Myth, Meaning, and Magic
Bullets in Attachment Theory
∗
Troubled Transplants: Unconventional Strategies
for Helping Troubled Foster and Adopted Children.
Foster Parent College DVDs:
Dr. Richard Delaney
Dr. Richard Delaney is an internationally known
speaker and consultant to foster, kinship, and
adoptive parents, as well as with agencies such as
Casey Family Programs. He is the author of several books including Fostering Changes: Myth,
Meaning, and Magic Bullets in Attachment Theory
and Troubled Transplants: Unconventional Strate-
gies for Helping Troubled Foster and Adopted
Children.
In addition, Dr. Delaney has been instrumental in
developing Foster Parent College
( w ww.fosterparentcollege.com ) , online and
DVD training for foster and adoptive parents.
Many Region 4 and 5 foster parents are familiar
with the DVDs and have received training hours
through the SFA Child Welfare Information Center.
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
Anger Outbursts
Stealing
Sleep Problems
Sexualized Behavior
Self-Harm
Running Away
Eating Disorders
House Safety
Grief and Loss in the Care System
Childhood Anxiety Disorder
Positive Parenting I, II, and III
Reactive Attachment Disorder ( R.A.D. )
Wetting and Soiling
Working with Birth Parents I: Visitation
Fire Setting
Page 5
REACHOUT NEWS
Regional News REGION 5 NEWS Dear Foster and Adoptive Parents,
We want to remind you about the Foster Parent Associations (FPAs) and that they are a service to provide
you with the support and fellowship of other foster parents, additional training opportunities, and activities for
the children in your care. We have several FPAs across
Region 05.
Angelina County FPA
The Angelina County Association is not having regular meetings
at this time due to lack of participation by the foster parents in the
county. Trinity, Polk, and San Jacinto County foster parents are
also invited. We really want to
encourage all of you to come together to make this association the
active, positive outlet that it used
to be. Please watch your mail for notices about an upcoming meeting! If you have suggestions or ideas for
getting the association back on its feet, please call Pam
Thomas.
President: Pam Thomas 936.676.6437
East Texas Foster and Adoptive Families Association
ETFFA meets every odd numbered month on the last
Friday at 6:30 in the Nacogdoches CPS office. Membership covers the following counties: Nacogdoches,
Shelby, Sabine, San Augustine, and Houston. They offer
child care, a pot luck dinner, and there is usually training
provided.
President: Leola Davis 936.229.9847 or 936.275.0918
Jefferson County FPA
The Association held its Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, November 18th for all Foster Parents and their families. The event was well attended. During the feast, the
members prepared Thanksgiving baskets that included
turkey, ham and all the trimmings to be presented to two
families in need.
The Association holds monthly meetings the 3rd Thursday of each month at
New Officers
6:30 p.m. Meeting locations alternate between • President: Edith Briggs
the Beaumont and Port
• V. President: Linda Babbs
Arthur CPS offices. Please call Annie • Secretary: Vicki Hogan
Flemon at 409.951.3348 • Asst. Secretary: Camilla
for information about the
Flowers
next meeting location.
Orange County FPA
The Orange County Foster Parent Association collaborated with the Cowboy Church of Orange Co., who sponsored our Annual Orange County Foster Families Christmas Party held on Dec. 4, 2010. The congregation of
the church bought gifts and "Santa's Elves" passed them
out to all the children in attendance. There were stories
read, carols sang and a
New Officers
lot of food to enjoy. The
Cowboy Church is al• President: Ricky Gall (NEW)
ready planning for next
• V. President: Anna McKay
year's festivities. They
(NEW)
were excited about help•
Secretary: Sue Blanchette
ing the families of Or• Treasurer: Melanie Foreman
ange County and making their holidays
brighter.
The OCFPA held its annual Christmas party on December 14th. The foster parents enjoyed games while the
children watched Christmas movies. All of the families
brought finger foods. The McKay family brought all of the
children Christmas surprises to enjoy.
Last year, in July, we held our first Family Fun Day.
This was a fun filled day for all of the foster and adoptive
families of Orange
County to come out
and get to know one
another. There was
plenty of food and
water games for the
children. Planning
has already began for
this summer to make
this an annual event.
Attendance is up,
but Orange County
FPA always welcomes more foster parents. They are
getting ready to start fund-raising toward doing something special for the children at the end of the school
year. Orange County FPA meets every second Tuesday
of the month at 6:30 p.m. We meet at the Orange Co.
CPS office 2220 Gloria Rd. Orange, Texas 77630.
President: Ricky Gall 409.392.7312
Pineywoods FPA
Pineywoods cover the counties of Tyler, Jasper, Newton,
Polk, and San Jacinto. They meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00p.m. in the Woodville CPS office. They always have a potluck, so bring something to
share! Child care is provided, but you need to RSVP to
Ms. Whittington so they will know how many to plan for.
President: Sandra Whittington 936.398.4681
Please try to get involved in your local association! The
more we have participating, the more valuable the group
is to everyone.
Page 6
REACHOUT NEWS
Regional News We also want to welcome all of the new foster and adoptive parents to the region!
Billy & Kimbrely Coleman
Luke & Belinda Bourgeois
Kelvin & Theresa Green
Charles & Jessica Hartje
Lloyd & Brandy Welch
Dorothy Rogers
Bruce & Joyce Lusich
Richard & Connie Landry
Donald & Patricia Johnson
Joseph & Cijii Levier
Samuel & Peggy McIlroy
William & Linda Pittman
Jose & Belinda Cantu
Belinda Richard
Roger & Martha Ballard
Scott & Merlene Wilcox
William & Theresa Howell
Jason & Tracy Bean
Shawn & Jeannie Hanson
Shane & Angela Gotte
Tommy & Karen McRight
Mary Dixon
James & Ruth Stone
David & Vanessa Hunt
Kassandra & William Jones
Michael & Karen Church
Paula West
Givien & Christina Kelley
Harrison & Robbie Langlinais
Ronda Schroeder
James & Michelle Wurz
Donna Scypion
Jessica Rogers
Terry & Carol Thomas
John & Diana Alejos
Michael & Amber Tolar
Eric & Melissa Erickson
Abbie & Dana Porche
Justin & Tonya Waterman
Janice & Johnny Babb
Nancy Morton
Earl & Wanda Mouton
Jared & Kallie Forman
We appreciate all of you so much whether you are providing a foster, foster/adoptive or adopt only home. The service
that you give to children and the love you offer is incomparable! Thank you!
Ginny L. Judson and Jennifer Vincent
FAD Supervisors, Region 05
Page 7
REACHOUT NEWS
Child Welfare Information Center Lauren Skinner MSW Graduate Assistant Stephen F. Austin State University Fostering and adopting can be very rewarding; however, it is not
without challenges. Children who have been abused or neglected
often come with a wide variety of behaviors that are not always
easy to manage. The Child Welfare Information Center (CWIC)
offers an abundance of resources on many different topics. These
will assist parents in helping their children cope with difficulties
they are experiencing. Listed below are just a few of the new resources available to foster/adoptive parents.
“A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Special Needs”
(Book)
In this book you will meet 50 remarkable kids: A boy with autism
surpasses his mother’s expectations in a swim meet, teaching
everyone to live the mantra, “reach and pull.” A seven-year-old
girl with albinism enlightens each person she encounters to the
true definition of beauty. In this poignant collection, you’ll meet
exceptional kids who achieve small victories daily, instilling wisdom in their parents with each stride they make.
Earn
Foster Parent
Training Credit
“Safe Parenting”
(Foster Parent College DVD)
The challenges of foster parenting can be
overwhelming, and a highly stressed parent
may lose sight of the safest way to proceed
in solving behavior problems. In an effective
support-group setting, this course offers
insights and practical steps to looking after a
child’s health, safety, security and best interest. The topics explored include the safety
plan, health and security, actual and developmental age, trauma history, the treatment
plan and state regulations.
“Behavior with a Purpose"
(Book)
This resource provides a practical understanding of and relevant interventions for common problems of youth in adoptive, foster and
kinship homes. Specific attention is placed on food hoarding, wetting, defiance, lying, stealing and negative attention-seeking behavior. The book also explains how the positive intent of adoptive,
foster and kinship parents can often work at cross purposes with
the motivations of the child. Numerous case examples illustrate
the dynamics of a problem. The book firmly endorses the healing power of the family and is written from a strengths-based
perspective.
“Lying”
(Foster Parent College
DVD)
Lying is the single most
common child behavior
problem reported by foster parents. In this program parents learn to
understand and deal with
this frustrating problem
by looking at four types
of lying behavior: lying
to get out of trouble,
lying to gain attention,
pathological lying, and
lying to get others in
trouble. This DVD offers
steps you can take when
you have a child with a
lying problem in your
home.
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
Be patient
Don’t take the lying personally
Try to understand the
child’s predicament
Give consequences rather
than asking questions
Don’t ask children “why”
they lie
Encourage them to say
what they really want
Teach negotiation skills
Focus more on the neediness behind the lying
Have reasonable expectations for change
“Culturally Competent Parenting”
(Foster Parent College DVD)
Many foster parents find themselves caring for children from minority cultures. Coping with cultural differences brings challenges
that are not addressed in regular foster parent training. The DVD
focuses on helping children maintain a healthy cultural identity,
building their confidence and self-esteem, and helping them deal
with prejudice and racism. Plus, it helps foster parents understand
when and how to advocate for the rights of children in their care.
_____________________________
A special toll free number . . .
877.886.6707
. . . is provided for CPS staff and foster and
adoptive parents. CWIC books, DVDs and videos are mailed to your home or office, along
with a stamped envelope for easy return.
Please specify if you are interested in receiving
foster parent training hours, and a test and
evaluation will be included with the book
or video. Once completed and returned,
foster parents will receive a letter of verification of training hours earned.
Your calls are important to us.
We look forward to hearing from you!
FOSTER PARENT TRAINING - REACHOUT Newsletter Spring 2011
Complete for one hour of training credit and return to your caseworker.
Learning Objectives •
•
•
•
The participant will understand key issues in helping children manage the emotional impact of trauma in early life.
The participant will learn common reasons behind problem behaviors.
The participant will describe different historic roles that many children in foster care have played .
The participant will identify helpful actions in responding to specific behaviors related to a child’s specific historic role. Learning Activities Activity One Helping your adopted child may take understanding two central issues: ______________________________ and _______________________________________. Activity Two List and describe four of the common reasons/purposes that can apply to most problem behaviors. 1.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Circle the best answer.) It isn’t important to find out why your children do what they do. True False There can be more than one cause for a single problem. True False Activity Three List and describe four of the common historic roles of children. 1.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ With the role of _______________________________, it’s important for parents not to fall into the _______________________ attention trap. With the role of ___________________________________, encouraging the child to voice feelings, needs and opinions assertively may help. Evaluation Date ____________ Trainer Child Welfare Professional Development Project, School of Social Work, SFA Name (optional)___________________________________________________________ Newsletter presentation and materials: 1. This newsletter content satisfied my expectations. ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree ___Strongly disagree 2. The examples and activities within this newsletter helped me learn. ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree ___Strongly disagree 3. This newsletter provides a good opportunity to receive information and training. ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree ___Strongly disagree Course Content Application: 4. The topics presented in this newsletter will help me do my job. ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree ___Strongly disagree 5. Reading this newsletter improved my skills and knowledge. ___Strongly disagree ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree 6. What were two of the most useful concepts you learned? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Overall, I was satisfied with this newsletter. ___Strongly agree ___ Agree ___Disagree ___Strongly disagree Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 10
REACHOUT NEWS
Child Welfare Professional Development Project Director (Continued from page 1)
(409) 951‐3361. Along with numerous CPS staff, we have an SFA Mas‐
ter Social Work intern, Onita Brown that will be work‐
ing hard to coordinate SFA volunteers and activities for the youth conference. Onita has been awarded a Title IV‐E stipend in exchange for her commitment to work for CPS, specifically with children living in out of home care. This is just one of the professional development opportunities offered through the SFA School of Social Work, Child Welfare Professional Development Project (CWPDP). East Texas foster/adoptive parents will want to take advantage of the education opportunities provided in this newsletter! This feature article on The Healing Power of the Adoptive Family is from the Foster Parent College Connections Newsletter. We hope you find this infor‐
mation useful in your care and supervision of foster and adopted children. Remember to complete the enclosed learning activities and evaluation, and give them to your case worker for ONE HOUR of foster parent training. Often times it can be a financial challenge to obtain training. The Child Welfare Information Center offers education opportunities for foster and adoptive parents from the convenience of their homes. Be sure to read about new DVDs and books that can be checked out for training hours ( p. 6). Lauren Skinner, graduate assistant (GA) will continue to assist parents, as well as training Kolby Robinson, new GA, to locate the most appropri‐
ate resources for helping you parent you foster child. Both GAs will also be busy behind the scenes working on the conference and many other CWPDP activities. Our staff encourages your feedback and recommenda‐
tions for new training topics. Feel free to call our toll free number at (877) 886‐6707 and let us know how we can support your parenting efforts. 14th Annual Region 5 Foster and Adoptive Training Conference
APRIL 16, 2011
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Dr. Delaney.
Keynote Speaker
CEUs for LSW, LPC, TAADAC, LCDC and CPEs
Foster Parent Training Hours
Child Welfare Professional Development Project Staff
Kolby Robinson
Graduate Assistant
936.468.4578
Becky Price-Mayo, MSW, LBSW
Director
936.468.1808
bmayo@sfasu.edu
Lauren Skinner
Graduate Assistant
936.468.1846
Stephen F. Austin State University School of Social Work Child Welfare Professional Development Project P.O. Box 6165, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962‐6165 REACHOUT NEWS
Spring
2011
Earn One Hour of
Foster Parent Training
Child Welfare Professional Development Project
School of Social Work, Stephen F. Austin State University